"It was never easy or smooth to travel with a big family, or at least with my family."
We had to travel for a long period, 4 hours give or take, from home through the barren desert and endless stretches of sand before we finally reached Las Vegas. I liked to imagine it as a gigantic ocean made up of sand stretching as far as the eyes could see. There was pretty much nothing to see along the dusty road with the exception of distant freight trains gliding along its railway in the opposite direction every once in a while. Blended perfectly into the mountainous background, I had to admit that it was a pretty cool scene.
As expected, we were greeted warmly with temperature that soared over a hundred degrees by the Sin City. It was unbearably boiling hot under the sun and we could literally feel our skin burning even with layers of protective sunscreen slopped all over our bodies. Fortunately, the city was famous for its hotels and casinos rather than outdoor activities. In fact, it was no doubt an understatement to say that there were plenty of things to do and see in every hotel.
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| The gondola rides inside Venetian hotel. |
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| One of the tree ladies in Venetian Hotel. |
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| Like Mother, Like Son? |
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| Gorgeous was the word. |
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| The beautifully painted captivating sky ceiling. |
At night, we visited the renowned Bellagio Hotel after watching a few free shows around the city. The weather was still hot but at least it was bearable. It was summer after all. Thus, I guessed I should stop complaining about the hot and humid weather in Malaysia. Or not. After that, we went to another prominent attraction - Fremont Street Experience. It was a street that was brought to life at night by its buzzing activities offering free concerts, rock bands, and goods with rock-bottom prices. The highlight of the night was no other than the free laser light show featuring Bon Jovi's songs which screamed nothing but awesome.
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| Breathtaking, fascinating and glamorous all rolled into one. |
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| Mi Familia. =) |
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| The enchanting conservatory inside Bellagio. |
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| The tantalizing chocolate fountain in Bellagio. |
The next day, we visited one of the seven wonders of the world - the grand canyon. "Grand" was certainly not the word to describe it. In fact, neither words nor pictures could do it any justice. Some of us especially Mummy were actually too scared to go right to the edge to take any photo at several locations without the railings as one slip would mean a permanent goodbye to this beautiful world. It was no exaggeration that we could feel our legs shaking while taking all the photos but it was definitely all worth it in the end.
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| The great grand canyon. |
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| My legs totally felt like jelly. |
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| The only location Mummy dared to take photos. |
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| The spectacular view from the top. |
After long showers, we got down to the hotel restaurant to enjoy the buffet dinner. Honestly, it was nothing compared to Malaysian food, but still the wide variety of western and mexican delicacies did leave a good and deep impression. Feeling refreshed, we took a leisurely stroll outside the hotel. Before long, our excitation turned into fear when we came to the realisation that we're surrounded by not one but a gaze of raccoons and there were a lot more hiding in the bushes. Colours could be seen draining from our faces. The funny part was that we literally ran for our lives.
The next morning, we woke up before the first ray of sunlight piercing through the curtains of the hotel windows. After freshening up, we took photos as we sauntered down the Colorado river. It was definitely a relief to not have any raccoons loitering around in the day and the view was definitely breathtaking if not splendid.
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| The view of Colorado river from the hotel window. |
It was never easy or smooth to travel with a big family, or at least with my family. You could bet your bottom dollar that arguments, disagreements and complaints would absolutely happen along the trip. See, we're never the exemplary family with billionaire parents, ticked-all-the-"perfect"-boxes siblings, or TV-interviewable over-achieving children. In fact, I had never wanted or wished a family that felt it could be nothing but perfect at all times. We're happy, and that's all I have ever wanted and it was all that mattered in the end.
It might be an imperfect getaway, but it was definitely perfect by my standards. =)
True Love ft. Lily Allen - P!nk
